What counts as a high DR directory?

We draw the line at Domain Rating 70. Below that, the SEO lift from a single directory link gets small fast; at 70 and above, the authority is high enough that one good followed link is worth pursuing. This page only includes the 34 directories that clear that bar.

Why is DR 70 to 80 harder to reach than DR 30 to 40?

Because Domain Rating is logarithmic. Climbing from 30 to 40 takes a modest number of new referring domains; climbing from 70 to 80 can take an order of magnitude more, and they have to be quality domains. That scarcity is exactly why a link from a DR 70 site is worth more: few sites reach that level, and they link out sparingly.

Is one DR 70 link really worth ten DR 20 links?

For raw link equity, usually yes. A DR 70 domain carries far more authority on the logarithmic scale and tends to be crawled more often, so its followed links move your profile more than a pile of DR 20 links. The honest exception is relevance: ten links from DR 20 sites built for your exact niche can beat one high-DR link from an unrelated directory.

Are high-DR nofollow directories like Product Hunt worth submitting to?

Yes, but not for link building. Product Hunt and Hacker News sit around DR 91 and mark their outbound links nofollow, so they pass no authority to your domain. They are still worth it for launch traffic and the social proof of a good launch day. Submit to them for reach, and get your followed links elsewhere.

How do you verify the Domain Rating numbers on this page?

The DR figures come from the free Ahrefs Domain Rating API. The attribution Ahrefs asks for is simple: Domain Rating by Ahrefs. This set was last refreshed 2026-06-14, and we also check each directory by hand, inspecting a real listing's outbound link rather than trusting the directory's own claims about link type.

Should I pay for a high DR directory listing?

Only when three things line up: the domain has real authority, the link is followed, and the audience matches your product. A paid followed listing on a relevant DR 77 site can pay for itself in one customer. Paying for a nofollow link, or a followed link on a directory your buyers never visit, is money you will not get back. Exhaust the free followed options first.

Directory Database

High DR directories for SaaS founders

High DR directories are the handful of listings that actually move your rankings. This page is the strict cut: the 34 SaaS and startup directories sitting at Domain Rating 70 or higher, ranked by live Ahrefs data. Most lists pad their count with DR 20 filler. We deleted everything below 70, because a single followed link from a high authority directory does more for your domain than a weekend of low-DR submissions.

DR 70+

Dofollow

Free to submit

Top DR

DR figures: Domain Rating by Ahrefs. Live data last refreshed 2026-06-14.

If you have been burned by "submit to 500 sites" advice, this is the antidote. The list below is small on purpose. Sort by DR, prioritise the followed links, and ignore the rest. For the full set across every DR band, see the complete SaaS directory list, and for the no-cost options specifically, the free directories to submit to.

Building toward DR 70? Start with a free dofollow link

Full disclosure: SaaSCity sits below this DR 70 cut today (DR 42). The listing is still free, permanent, and dofollow, so it is a clean addition to your backlink profile while you work on the heavyweights above.

Submit your SaaS free See upgrade options

Directory	DR	Link	Price	Submit
Reddit reddit.com	95	Nofollow	Free	Visit
Sourceforge sourceforge.net	92	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
TechCrunch techcrunch.com	92	Nofollow	Paid	Visit
Capterra capterra.com	91	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
G2 g2.com	91	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
Hacker News news.ycombinator.com	91	Nofollow	Free	Visit
Product Hunt producthunt.com	91	Nofollow	Free	Visit
StartupFA.me startupfa.me	83	Dofollow	Paid	Visit
Fazier fazier.com	82	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
Dang AI dang.ai	81	Dofollow	Free	Visit
Indie Hackers indiehackers.com	81	Dofollow	Free	Visit
Twelve Tools twelve.tools	81	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
AlternativeTo alternativeto.net	79	Nofollow	Free	Visit
findly.tools findly.tools	79	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
SaaSHub saashub.com	79	Dofollow	Free	Visit
Turbo0 turbo0.com	79	Dofollow	Paid	Visit
There's An AI For That theresanaiforthat.com	77	Dofollow	Paid	Visit
Toolpilot toolpilot.ai	77	Dofollow	Paid	Visit
Peerlist peerlist.io	76	Nofollow	Free	Visit
Alternative.me alternative.me	75	Dofollow	Free	Visit
BetaList betalist.com	75	Dofollow	Free	Visit
LaunchIgniter launchigniter.com	75	Nofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
SubmitAiTools submitaitools.org	75	Nofollow	Paid	Visit
PeerPush peerpush.net	74	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
Uneed uneed.best	74	Dofollow	Paid	Visit
SoftwareWorld softwareworld.co	73	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
TinyLaunch tinylaunch.com	72	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
FoundrList foundrlist.com	71	Dofollow	Free	Visit
neeed.directory neeed.directory	71	Dofollow	Free	Visit
Open Launch open-launch.com	71	Dofollow	Free	Visit
Aura++ auraplusplus.com	70	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
magicbox.tools magicbox.tools	70	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
SideProjectors sideprojectors.com	70	Dofollow	Free + Paid	Visit
startupfa.st startupfa.st	70	Nofollow	Free + Paid	Visit

Showing 34 of 34. DR = Domain Rating by Ahrefs.

Methodology

How we verify each high authority directory

No scraped DR estimates and no copy-pasted lists. Here is exactly how the numbers above are gathered and checked.

01Start from the live directory set we maintain, drawn from launchdirectories.com plus channels we add and check by hand.
02Pull each domain's Domain Rating from the free Ahrefs DR API. DR is a 0 to 100 logarithmic score of backlink strength.
03Keep only domains at DR 70 or higher. Everything below the cut lives on the other directory pages.
04Verify the link type by hand: open a real listing and inspect whether the outbound link is followed, instead of trusting the directory's marketing copy.
05Re-fetch on a schedule and stamp the set with a date, so you are never acting on a number from last year.

Why 70 and not 50? Because the value curve bends. Ahrefs runs on a logarithmic scale, so the distance from DR 70 to DR 80 holds far more backlink strength than the distance from DR 30 to DR 40. Set the bar lower and the list fills with domains whose followed links barely register. At 70 the floor is high enough that even the weakest entry is worth a form. You can sanity-check any domain yourself with our free domain rating checker before you spend time on it. The DR shown here is Domain Rating by Ahrefs, refreshed 2026-06-14.

The logarithmic catch

Why DR 70 directories cost more to earn

Domain Rating does not climb in a straight line. Going from 30 to 40 is a weekend of decent links. Going from 70 to 80 is a multi-year campaign with hundreds of quality referring domains behind it. So the sites at this tier are scarce by definition, and most of them link out carefully, because every outbound followed link gives away a slice of that hard-won authority.

That is the whole case for one DR 70 link over ten DR 20 links. The high-DR domain passes more equity per link on the logarithmic scale, gets crawled more often, and usually carries more topical trust. The honest caveat: Domain Rating is Ahrefs' model, not Google's, so treat it as a way to prioritise, not a target to game. A relevant DR 45 directory that sends real buyers can still beat a DR 85 link from a site your audience never opens. For the long game on your own score, the guide on how to increase domain rating covers the rest.

The shortlist

12 high DR directories worth the effort

Hand-picked from the DR 70 set. Honest notes on which links are followed, which gate you behind real reviews, and which only earn their keep for a specific kind of product.

01
SaaSHubsaashub.com
DR79
dofollowFree
If you only submit to one free directory on this list, make it this one. SaaSHub gives a followed link from a DR 79 domain at no cost, the listing page gets indexed, and approval is usually quick. The one catch is competition: popular categories are crowded, so a sharp, specific tagline does a lot of the work.
Best for
Any SaaS wanting a free followed link
Approval
Usually a few days
Catch
Popular categories are crowded
02
Indie Hackersindiehackers.com
DR81
dofollowFree
Your profile and product pages here are followed and free on a DR 81 domain Google already trusts. It only pays off if you show up: a bare listing with no posts sinks out of sight fast. Treat it as a community you take part in, and count the backlink as the bonus rather than the point.
Best for
Founders who actually post
Approval
Instant, self-serve
Catch
A dead profile gets buried
03
G2g2.com
DR91
dofollowFree + Paid
A followed link from a DR 91 B2B domain with real buyer traffic. The gate is genuine: your profile gains weight from customer reviews, not from filling in a form, so it suits products that already have paying users. Claiming is free; the paid tiers add lead tooling you probably do not need this early.
Best for
B2B products with real customers
Gate
Genuine customer reviews
Cost
Claim free, paid lead tiers exist
04
Capterracapterra.com
DR91
dofollowFree + Paid
Same Gartner network as G2 and a matching DR 91. The followed listing sits in front of people actively comparing software, so it is one of the rare directories that can send a sale, not just a crawl. Like G2 it rewards review volume, so chase it once you have customers willing to vouch for you.
Best for
High-intent software buyers
Gate
Reviews plus category fit
Cost
Free listing, paid PPC available
05
Sourceforgesourceforge.net
DR92
dofollowFree + Paid
The highest-DR followed option on the list at DR 92. It earns its slot if you ship anything downloadable or open-source. For a pure web SaaS with nothing to install, the fit is awkward and a forced listing reads like one. Worth real effort for dev tools, fine to skip if it does not match what you sell.
Best for
Downloadable or open-source tools
Catch
Awkward fit for pure web apps
Cost
Free tier carries the followed link
06
Fazierfazier.com
DR82
dofollowFree + Paid
One of the stronger followed launch platforms at DR 82. The free tier still gives a followed link, and the launch format can drive a real spike of visitors on the day you go live. Paid placement buys more visibility, not better link quality, so start on the free tier and upgrade only if launch timing genuinely matters.
Best for
A launch-day spike plus a link
Catch
Paid buys eyeballs, not link quality
Cost
Free tier is followed
07
BetaListbetalist.com
DR75
dofollowFree
A followed link from a DR 75 domain built around early-stage products. It fits best before or right at launch, when "new and not yet released" is your actual angle. The free queue is slow and can run for weeks, so submit early. Past the early-traction stage the audience fit falls away.
Best for
Pre-launch and early-stage products
Approval
Slow free queue, weeks not days
Cost
Free, paid skip-the-line option
08
Twelve Toolstwelve.tools
DR81
dofollowFree + Paid
A fast followed listing on a DR 81 domain, which is a strong number for how little time it takes. Be clear-eyed about what it is: a high-volume listing network, so the per-link relevance is thinner than a focused niche directory. Good for the DR signal, weaker as a source of targeted referral clicks.
Best for
A fast followed link, little effort
Catch
Thin per-link relevance
Cost
Free tier is followed
09
There's An AI For Thattheresanaiforthat.com
DR77
dofollowPaid
Only relevant if you are an AI product, and if you are, it is one of the few paid listings that can pay for itself. DR 77, followed, and it ranks for a long tail of "AI tool for X" searches, so the referral traffic is real and on-intent. For anything that is not an AI tool, this is money wasted.
Best for
AI products only
Catch
Wasted spend if you are not AI
Cost
Paid
10
Turbo0turbo0.com
DR79
dofollowPaid
Another AI-focused paid directory, DR 79 with a followed link. The authority is legitimate, but the audience is narrow, so the math only works for an AI tool with budget to spend. If you are choosing between this and the larger AI directories and can fund just one, back the one with the bigger search footprint first.
Best for
AI tools with a marketing budget
Catch
Narrow audience
Cost
Paid
11
Product Huntproducthunt.com
DR91
nofollowFree
Listed here on purpose, so you do not chase it for the wrong reason. DR 91 is eye-catching, but the outbound link is nofollow, so it passes no authority to your domain. It is still very much worth a launch for the traffic, email signups, and social proof. Just file it under reach, not link building.
Best for
Launch reach, signups, social proof
Catch
No SEO equity passed
Cost
Free
12
SideProjectorssideprojectors.com
DR70
dofollowFree + Paid
This one sits exactly on the DR 70 floor, so be honest about the size of the lift: at 70 the marginal value is real but modest. It suits indie makers showcasing or selling side projects. Take the free followed link if you fit the audience, but do not expect it to move your own DR on its own.
Best for
Indie makers and side projects
Catch
At the DR 70 floor, the lift is small
Approval
Self-serve

Each DR above is live: Domain Rating by Ahrefs. Set last refreshed 2026-06-14.

Link type

Dofollow vs nofollow at DR 70+

At this tier the link type decides everything, and the headline DR number can be misleading.

A followed link from a DR 80 directory passes authority to your domain. A nofollow link from a DR 90 directory passes none, however impressive the number looks. Switch the table to followed links, or jump to the full dofollow SaaS directories list, and treat the big nofollow platforms as a traffic play rather than a link-building one.

Earn these (followed, real equity)

+G2 and Capterra at DR 91: followed, and they reward genuine customer reviews.
+SaaSHub at DR 79: a free followed link that indexes quickly.
+Fazier and Twelve Tools at DR 81 to 82: followed links from launch platforms.
+Indie Hackers at DR 81: a followed profile, if you actually post.

Submit for reach, not links (nofollow)

-Product Hunt and Hacker News at DR 91: huge traffic, zero link equity.
-Reddit at DR 95: enormous reach, every outbound link nofollow.
-AlternativeTo at DR 79: useful comparison traffic, nofollow link.
-Peerlist at DR 76: good for a dev audience, not for your DR.

Honest tradeoffs

Where founders waste the high-DR budget

The expensive mistakes are almost always about chasing the DR number instead of the link that helps.

-Chasing DR and ignoring relevance
A DR 90 link from a directory your buyers never visit is worth less than a DR 45 link from one built for your exact niche. Authority without topical fit is a weak signal, and it sends you no qualified traffic. Sort by DR, then re-sort by relevance before you submit.
-Treating nofollow DR like followed DR
Product Hunt and Hacker News are DR 91 and pass no link equity. They are great for a launch, but if your goal this quarter is Domain Rating, an hour spent there does nothing for it. Match the channel to the goal.
-Paying for a high-DR page that links out nofollow
Some paid listings sit on a DR 80 domain but attach a nofollow attribute to your link. You buy exposure and zero authority. Inspect a live listing's outbound link before you reach for a card.
-Submitting everything in one weekend
Blasting 30 forms in a day makes it impossible to read which directories actually approved you, indexed the page, or kept the link followed. Submit in batches and confirm each listing went live and stayed followed.
-Trusting a DR you saw last year
Domain Rating moves. Directories lose links, get penalised, or quietly decline. The figures here come from the Ahrefs free DR API and are dated; anywhere else, re-check before you spend time or money.
-Forgetting that DR is a third-party score
Domain Rating is Ahrefs' model of backlink strength, not a Google ranking factor. It is a useful proxy for prioritising, not a number to optimise in isolation. Relevance and real traffic still decide whether the link helps.

FAQ

High DR directory questions, answered

What counts as a high DR directory?: We draw the line at Domain Rating 70. Below that, the SEO lift from a single directory link gets small fast; at 70 and above, the authority is high enough that one good followed link is worth pursuing. This page only includes the 34 directories that clear that bar.
Why is DR 70 to 80 harder to reach than DR 30 to 40?: Because Domain Rating is logarithmic. Climbing from 30 to 40 takes a modest number of new referring domains; climbing from 70 to 80 can take an order of magnitude more, and they have to be quality domains. That scarcity is exactly why a link from a DR 70 site is worth more: few sites reach that level, and they link out sparingly.
Is one DR 70 link really worth ten DR 20 links?: For raw link equity, usually yes. A DR 70 domain carries far more authority on the logarithmic scale and tends to be crawled more often, so its followed links move your profile more than a pile of DR 20 links. The honest exception is relevance: ten links from DR 20 sites built for your exact niche can beat one high-DR link from an unrelated directory.
Are high-DR nofollow directories like Product Hunt worth submitting to?: Yes, but not for link building. Product Hunt and Hacker News sit around DR 91 and mark their outbound links nofollow, so they pass no authority to your domain. They are still worth it for launch traffic and the social proof of a good launch day. Submit to them for reach, and get your followed links elsewhere.
How do you verify the Domain Rating numbers on this page?: The DR figures come from the free Ahrefs Domain Rating API. The attribution Ahrefs asks for is simple: Domain Rating by Ahrefs. This set was last refreshed 2026-06-14, and we also check each directory by hand, inspecting a real listing's outbound link rather than trusting the directory's own claims about link type.
Should I pay for a high DR directory listing?: Only when three things line up: the domain has real authority, the link is followed, and the audience matches your product. A paid followed listing on a relevant DR 77 site can pay for itself in one customer. Paying for a nofollow link, or a followed link on a directory your buyers never visit, is money you will not get back. Exhaust the free followed options first.

Build the backlink profile one tier at a time

Lock in the free followed links first, including a two-minute SaaSCity listing, then invest in the high-DR paid slots that actually fit your niche.

List your SaaS free